Iranian pornographers under fire

Adult industry workers face death penalty

LONDON — The Iranian parliament plans to punish anyone convicted of working in the adult film industry with death.

Move comes after a national controversy that erupted last year when a tape allegedly featuring Iranian actress Zahra Amir Ebrahimi en flagrante with her former boyfriend became available on Iran’s black market and was leaked onto the Internet.

Iranian lawmakers passed a bill stating that “producers of pornographic works” are considered “corrupter of the world and could be sentenced to punishment as corrupter of the world.”

The term “corrupter of the world” is derived from the Koran and carries with it the threat of the death penalty under Iran’s penal code. The proposed law is awaiting final approval from the country’s Guardian Council.

Although pornographic material is widely available on Iran’s black market and through satellite channels, it is banned under Iranian law. The bill would also punish adult film distributors and website owners with penalties ranging from a year in prison to execution.

Facing professional ruin, Ebrahimi vehemently denied it was she on the tape. An official investigation was launched. If found guilty, the thesp faces penalties ranging from a fine to a possible lashing or even a jail sentence.